As they watched the enormous cannonballs blot out the sky and hurtle toward their ship at terrifying speed...
Even the members of the Barto Club could not help but show a trace of panic, afraid that those monstrous shells would come crashing down on top of them.
Byrnndi World truly deserved his status as a dangerous figure marked by the World Government.
That move alone made him a threat to the world on a level comparable to an Emperor of the Sea.
And yet, at this critical moment, Barto's pitch-black eyes after Pokémon-ization remained utterly calm, betraying not the slightest ripple of emotion.
Facing the gigantic shells that were just about to fall, he merely spoke softly:
"Baddy Bad!"
Whoosh~
A psychic field completely different from the blazing intensity of Conqueror's Haki suddenly burst forth from Barto's body.
A cold, oppressive aura instantly blanketed the world around them, dyeing everything in a strange and sinister atmosphere.
Baddy Bad, the signature Dark-type Partner Move from Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!.
Its effect was to unleash an evil aura that damaged the enemy while also creating a barrier field. That barrier had the same effect as Reflect, granting the ability to resist physical impacts.
A surging torrent of Dark-type energy poured out wildly.
After evolving, Bartolomeo seemed to possess inexhaustible energy.
Under his full output, the already-formed Reflect barrier rapidly expanded.
The sinister aura swept across the giant cannonballs. Though it failed to knock them back, it did noticeably slow their momentum.
Taking advantage of that brief opening, the Reflect barrier expanded at high speed and just barely caught the enormous shells.
However...
"How naive!"
Seeing Barto somehow temporarily stop the cannonballs' advance, World instead split his mouth into a savage grin and mocked him like a madman:
"What I threw were cannonballs, not ordinary iron balls!!!"
Sure enough.
The instant World's attack came down, the piled-up artillery shells outside the Reflect barrier exploded all at once.
BOOM!!!!!!!
The sound was like the roar of gods and demons, turning into an invisible shockwave that rippled in every direction across the sea.
In an instant, terrifying flames lit up the entire sky, as if a fire demon had descended upon this place and devoured the world, transforming it into a domain of flame.
The blazing firelight reflected in World's eyes, and the expression on his face became ever more crazed.
Watching the shockwave from the explosion surge into the Reflect barrier just as he had expected, the smile at the corner of his mouth stretched so wide it seemed ready to tear his face apart.
Although he had no idea that Barto's Baddy Bad could only resist part of a physical attack and offered no protection whatsoever against the intense heat produced by the blast...
The scene before him was exactly the outcome he wanted.
"Wahahahaha...!"
"So what if you're an important figure in the Straw Hat Grand Fleet!?"
"You're not even one of the Straw Hat Pirates! And yet you dared challenge me, World, all by yourself? How ignorant. How ridiculous!"
World shook his head lightly, ridiculing the weakness of his enemy like a victor.
Standing on the deck of the World Pirates' ship, he crossed his arms over his chest and arrogantly gazed at everything before him as it was swallowed by fire.
The shockwaves produced by the explosion made the entire sea heave violently like a roller coaster.
The ships borne upon the waves pitched up and down accordingly.
Yet the members of the veteran World Pirates were completely unaffected.
Instead, each of them stared intently at the towering flames ahead, their eyes flickering with thoughts unknown.
Although eliminating Barto and his pirate crew would inevitably land them on the blacklist of the Straw Hat Pirates' forces...
This battle also proved just how terrifying World's strength truly was!
It had to be said—paired with these newly developed heavy cannons, World's power had increased by who knew how many times!
After all, his Devil Fruit ability multiplied an object's original properties. The stronger the object's base attributes, the more astonishing the final result it could produce.
And now they had only modified the first batch of heavy cannons. Once they developed artillery capable of firing faster and even larger shells in the future, the entire world would tremble in World's hands!!!
With achievements and power like this, they might be able to rapidly build up a mighty force of their own.
In the future, they might even be able to stand on equal footing against the Straw Hat Pirates!
Dreaming was something every pirate went through.
Or rather, it was precisely because they dared to dream that they found the courage to sail out to sea and become pirates.
As they gazed upon the flames that had turned the entire ocean red, their hearts began to indulge in limitless fantasies.
However...
The daydreams of the World Pirates did not last long before a fierce wind of unknown origin suddenly swept across the sea.
In the ever-changing weather of the New World, that was nothing unusual.
But under the force of the gale, the burning cannonball dust acting as fuel was scattered farther across the sea.
The sea of fire and the smoke gradually dispersed, and the entire World Pirates crew instantly went slack-jawed in shock.
"No! That's impossible!!!"
The one whose expression changed the most was naturally World, who had just been acting as though he were utterly invincible.
His eyes were bloodshot red as he stared in disbelief at what lay before him.
Amid the endless flames, the Going Luffy-senpai slowly emerged from the chaotic sea beneath a double-layered protective barrier, drawing closer once more after the surging currents had temporarily pulled the two ships apart.
On the bizarre and ridiculous Luffy figurehead, that silly grin seemed to be mocking World's overestimation of himself.
"Idiot!"
Although Barto's presence had become far more imposing after Pokémon-ization, to the point that he no longer looked like the villain he once had...
His every move, and even the way he spoke, had not changed in the slightest just because of his altered appearance.
"You think you're the only smart guy in the world!?"
Barto bared his teeth, stuck out his tongue, and laughed mockingly:
"If even an idiot like you can spot the problem, do you think the many seniors of the Straw Hat Pirates, all blessed with peerless talent, wouldn't know about it!?"
"Lord Red talked to me about it a long time ago! The fatal weakness of my Barrier-Barrier Fruit!"
"That's why, for such a long time, I poured all my effort into studying this one ultimate move—Baddy Bad!"
"Hard work pays off! Through my relentless efforts, Baddy Bad not only helped me complete my Dark-type Pokémon-ization, but its range has even surpassed the power of the Barrier-Barrier Fruit itself!"
"And that's exactly why I can use the power of Baddy Bad to summon a Reflect barrier that covers even my own barrier!"
"You must be wondering how I'm still able to use my Devil Fruit ability even surrounded by seawater, right!?"
In an instant, their positions reversed.
Barto planted one foot on the railing and shouted arrogantly toward the rapidly approaching World Pirates:
"That's because... Baddy Bad possesses the power to repel everything in the material world!!!"
"And seawater, which can nullify barrier power, is also part of the material world!"
"Hehahahahahaha...!"
Barto's laughter seemed to carry some kind of strange magic as it spread across the sea and wormed its way into the hearts of every World Pirate like a heavy hammer smashing into their fragile spirits.
"Impossible!"
Though he could not understand a single thing Barto was saying, World clenched the railing so hard that the wooden guardrail shattered in his grip.
He did not understand what Baddy Bad was, but as he watched the Going Luffy-senpai continue sailing toward them beneath its double-layered barrier, an extremely ominous thought suddenly rose in his heart.
"No, wait!"
Suddenly realizing something, World shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Quick!!! Raise the sails!"
"Turn the ship around!!! They're going to ram us!!!"
"What!?"
The World Pirates, still frozen in shock, paled instantly. Looking at the ridiculous ship that showed no sign of slowing down, they hurriedly began scrambling to maneuver their vessel.
But before the sails could be properly adjusted, Barto's piercing laughter had already drifted into their ears from not far away.
"Hehahahahaha~ it's already too late!!!"
"Right now, out on the sea, I am invincible!!!!"
Whoosh!!!
The dark green transparent barrier that had originally been protected inside the Reflect barrier suddenly changed shape, forming a gigantic sharp spear that violently thrust into the hull of the World Pirates' ship.
The massive spear instantly punched a huge hole through World's vessel.
Then, after stabbing in to a certain depth, World's ship collided with Barto's Reflect barrier once again. As though it had slammed into a layer of jelly, it was suddenly forced backward, widening the distance from the Going Luffy-senpai once more.
At the same time, Barto's barrier spear was dragged back out of the ship's body, leaving behind only a widened gaping hole, from which all sorts of strange things continuously spilled out as the vessel rocked.
"Captain! This is bad! There's a huge hole in the hull! All our supplies are spilling out!"
"Damn it!!!"
World slammed his fist down fiercely, but when he saw Barto's side once again bursting into cheers and laughter while steering the ship in for another stab, he could only continue roaring orders for his men to move the ship faster.
However...
How could the pirate ship of a man who had only been out of prison for two and a half years possibly compare to a pirate ship specially modified by the Straw Hat Scientific Research Corps!?
Moments later, the Going Luffy-senpai, with its barrier spear formed once more, rammed into them again.
And so, for a stretch of time that followed, the entire World Pirates crew experienced the darkest moment of their lives.
If the collapse and breakup of the World Pirates thirty-two years ago had filled them with despair...
Then at this very moment, facing the Barto Club—a group of sharp-toothed, strangely made-up weirdos who never stopped hurling vulgar mockery at them...
The feeling was even worse than simply being killed outright!
So... Bartolomeo, you bastard, did you gather a bunch of like-minded freaks just to ridicule your enemies!?
From beginning to end, what did any of this have to do with them!?
Bang!!!
With the Going Luffy-senpai's final collision, the already-riddled World Pirates ship could no longer endure Bartolomeo's abuse. After swaying once, it suddenly shattered apart.
In an instant, the barrier spear plunged through unopposed and smashed the World Pirates ship into a heap of wreckage.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH...!!!!"
Seeing the shattered remains of his ship drifting across the sea, along with the scattered members of the World Pirates, World threw back his head and let out a furious roar of helpless rage.
But against Bartolomeo, who now possessed a double-layered barrier, there was nothing he could do.
During that miserable stretch of battle—the kind of experience that hurt even to remember—he had unleashed all manner of attacks against Barto and his ship.
But beneath the double-layered barrier, every single one of his attacks had been utterly useless.
In truth, even Red had once been shocked by Barto in his perfected form.
Once Barto established his dual-barrier state, then aside from certain special Devil Fruit abilities, such as Robin's Flower-Flower Fruit, there was essentially no way to break through his defenses.
Unless...
One waited until Barto's stamina or mental strength was completely exhausted, leaving him unable to maintain the barrier any longer.
Yet with Barto's current power, forcing him to burn through all his stamina might take ten days, or even half a month.
"World, do you have anything left to say!?"
The Going Luffy-senpai sailed forward until it stopped before World.
Barto stood beside the Luffy figurehead.
As Luffy's veteran superfan, he would absolutely never stand atop the prow the way other pirates would.
Their figurehead was the faith of everyone in their pirate crew.
"Hmph!"
Faced with Barto's questioning, World let out an angry snort.
But when it came to his defeat, he did not choose to deny it or pretend otherwise.
"The strong rule, the weak are prey—that is the unchanging law of this sea!"
"If you want to kill me or cut me down, do as you please. If I, World, so much as blink, I'll take your surname!"
"Good! You've got guts!" Barto grinned broadly, then suddenly waved to the people beside him. "Men!!! Since he's being so straightforward, we shouldn't ruin his mood!"
"Open fire and kill this guy!!!"
"Yes, Boss Barto!"
The group of delinquent-looking members instantly raised their weapons and aimed them at World.
???
World's pupils shrank.
What the hell!?
Didn't you say at the beginning that you wanted me to surrender and join under the Straw Hats!?
I was only being politely tough for a second—how did you take that seriously!?
Completely unprepared for Barto to be so decisive, World's heart nearly stopped. But the words had already been spoken, and proud as he was, there was no way he would take them back now.
As the gang of weirdos were just about to pull the trigger and bring his rough, wasted life to an end, World slowly closed his eyes and waited for death to descend.
But just then, a hoarse voice suddenly rang out:
"Wait! My lords!"
A small, shaky figure stumbled forward atop the floating wreckage, climbed his way in front of World in a pitiful state, and then, without hesitation, knelt before Barto and the others.
"My lords of the Straw Hat Pirates..."
"We are willing to surrender and accept all conditions set by the Straw Hat Pirates. I beg you, please spare our lives!!!"
"This old man kneels in thanks to all of you, my lords!!!"
(End of Chapter)